This proposal requests funding to assist in the upgrading of facilities and equipment of the laboratory animal care program at the University of South Carolina (USC). USC is a major research university in the South. Funded research and sponsored programs during FY87-88 total $38.3 million. Currently, funding for biomedical research is $9.9 million, of which $5.3 million is derived from NIH grants and contracts. There are 53 NIH funded projects at USC this year. The USC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), under the auspices of the university administration, has made an in-depth assessment of laboratory animal use at USC to determine both short and long term animal facilities support requirements. From this review, an improvement and expansion plan for laboratory animal care was drawn. The most immediate and critical needs are additional housing space, equipment for controlled barrier environments, and computer ad vehicle equipment to more efficiently serve multiple animal care sites. To resolve the critical animal housing crisis, additional housing space has been contributed by the School of Medicine. This proposal outlines a request to match this contribution with equipment and necessary renovations to fulfill the most immediate needs of the animal care program. This project will substantially enhance the quality of biomedical research by faculty at USC, many of whom ar NIH grant recipients.